U.S. Intelligence Agency News
The Daily Signal provides coverage of intelligence operations, surveillance controversies, and the role of U.S. agencies in national security and civil liberties.
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opinion
Can Higher Payroll Taxes Fix Social Security?
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzed several different payroll tax proposals to shore up Social Security’s finances, and the results are not very appealing. The Social Security trust fund ran a $71 billion deficit in 2013 that is on pace to quadruple by 2032. Some have called for a payroll tax increase, but CBO found… -
opinion
Social Security Report: Massive Deficits Increase Unfunded Obligation by $1.1 Trillion
Today’s release of the 2014 Social Security Trustees Report shows its programs’ finances are in dire need of reform if the programs are to provide to seniors and the disabled protection from poverty and do so in an affordable and sustainable manner. Social Security paid out nearly $71 billion more to retirees and other beneficiaries… -
opinion
The CIA’s Twitter Is Not #Winning
Carl Colby grew up in a family where no one talked about what dad did. Even family outings were mysterious. “We’d go somewhere — family trip on the weekend, picnic basket in the back — and he’d meet somebody. Have a conversation, deliver something,” Carl recalls in the fascinating documentary, “The Man Nobody Knew: In… -
opinion
Do You Want Your Private Financial Information Automatically Shared with Russia or China?
On Monday, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released the full version of the global standard for automatic exchange of information. The Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters calls on governments to obtain detailed account information from their financial institutions and exchange that information automatically with other jurisdictions on… -
opinion
Holder Claimed Some Americans Oppose Him Because of ‘Racial Animus’
Were you aware that your opposition to Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama is due at least in part because of your “racial animus,” and not because you disagree with their policies and abuse of their constitutional authority? That, anyway, is Holder’s latest claim, which shows how disconnected the attorney general is from reality…. -
opinion
Why a President’s Judicial Appointments Matter
One issue voters often overlook when selecting presidential candidates is what type of judges those candidates will support. These are lifetime appointments, and a two-term president could nominate hundreds of judges to the federal judiciary – with advice and consent of the Senate. From trial-level district court judges to the justices on the U.S. Supreme… -
opinion
Our Politicians Keep Surrendering U.S. Independence to Other Nations
Four weeks after D-Day, having fought fiercely for 28 consecutive days, American troops were still within eyeshot of the Normandy coast. They were already short of artillery rounds, but Gen. Omar Bradley didn’t care. The commander of U.S. ground forces was determined to send the enemy a message. And so, to mark U.S. independence on… -
news
Cruz Knocks Obama’s $3.7B Border Request as ‘Social Services Bill’
The Daily Signal this afternoon asked Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, what he thinks of President Obama’s request for $3.7 billion in “emergency” funds – about $12 for every American – to address the surge of children from Central America illegally crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. Cruz accused the president of selling a “social services bill” as a “border… -
news
Federal Officials Propose 8-Foot Fences to Protect Endangered Mice
SANTA FE NATIONAL FOREST, N.M.—For more than a century, the Lucero family has grazed livestock in the majestic landscape near Fenton Lakein the Santa Fe National Forest. They started with sheep and, in the 1920s, switched to cattle. But that may all come to an end because of an endangered mouse. “You’re taking a lot… -
opinion
This Innovative Education Policy Can Change the Lives of Children With Special Needs
Erika Hartley has two sons with Autism, which means she can explain in one sentence what being able to customize their education means to her family. “If you’ve met one child with Autism,” she says, “You’ve met one child with Autism.” Fortunately, for her sons, Hunter, 11, and Jackson, 7, they live in Arizona, home… -
opinion
Gates Advocates Hitting the Brakes on Consequences Associated with Common Core
Even Bill Gates is starting to have second thoughts about the consequences associated with Common Core. On Tuesday, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation— the second-largest financial backer of Common Core after the federal government— issued a letter calling for a two-year delay of the full implementation of Common Core, which is set to take… -
opinion
This Movie Could Teach D.C. Politicians How to Budget Better
Much of the U.S. budget is flying on auto-pilot and on course to crash. Congress should grab hold of the steering yoke. In the 1980s comedy “Airplane!”, Otto, the inflatable doll, takes over as auto-pilot when the cockpit crew becomes incapacitated because of food poisoning. To prevent a crash and safely land the plane, an ex-pilot…